The word **阵亡 (zhènwáng)** is a Classical Chinese compound formed by combining two morphemes: **阵 (zhèn)**, meaning "battle formation" or "front line," and **亡 (wáng)**, meaning "to perish" or "to die." It is a succinct, formal term literally meaning "to perish in battle formation," which semantically evolved to signify "to die in combat" or "to be killed in action." This formation follows a common pattern in Chinese where a place or context (阵) is specified for the action (亡), creating a precise, militarily-specific vocabulary that efficiently conveys the concept of a soldier's death on the battlefield.